Welcome to episode 26 of design cures podcast.
I'm your host and Mentor, Rebecca Ward, and today we have
Lindsey Kjellberg. Again, we had her back in
episode 24, for part 1, and then this is part 2.
She just had so much information.
We decided to break it out into two episodes, but I know you're
going to love it. And like I said, she is owner of
lhk interiors and you can find all of her information in the
show notes, and don't forget that we have My design Mentor.
If you're looking for more one-on-one work with myself you
can join this group of people just like you we come together
and talk about what the careers, like a questions, how to get
started, everyone kind of starts out in a different spot in life.
So it's great for me to be able to personalize the information
that you're getting and have a coaching call with me every
month and I can review your portfolio and we have a book
club in there, so it's just a lot.
Define. So you want to get in there and
you can find out more info about that on our website, our word
design.com. So let's get into what Lindsey
has for us today. You're going to love it.
You're now listening to design, curious a place where you
creative one are here to learn about what it really is.
Like, to be an interior designer and I'm your host and Mentor
Rebecca, Ward, if you're worried about how to succeed in a
creative career, if you're ready to learn your next steps to
become an Interior Designer. And if you want the satisfaction
of doing something you love every day, you are in the Right.
Place grab a coffee, a notebook. And let's dig into today's
episode. Hi Lindsay.
Welcome back to design curious. Thank you.
Great to be back, guys. Yeah.
Can you tell any designer whose might be thinking about changing
a career? In to design maybe they already
have kids and they're trying to find the time to do it besides
having a good system in place or even a mindset that they need to
have their approaching this as a parent because I think interior
design is often a second career choice.
It's not always your first career choice.
And some of those parents that are trying to transfer careers
and have kids in and think about maybe starting their own
business. There's just a lot to think
about with kids and balancing all that thing.
So, yeah, I would honestly say in whether they already have
kids or not. I think the most beneficial
thing for me, was building my connections with different
trades in the area and that's been one way.
So maybe if someone has a second career that they're kind of
doing a side hustle for a little bit if they just start helping
one of the contractors in town or you know if they have a real
estate agent or someone that they know or can build into
their Network and maybe it is part time and then they're
they're questioning whether to make the full time you know
whether to quit the other job I think.
Building your network and is beneficial.
Like I said, regardless if you have kids or not and what I find
is, sometimes my network comes from the kids, their activities.
So, you know, whether it's a school event or a sporting event
or whatever it is, but yeah, I just I definitely recommend
building your network and that's what's going to get to lead
starting off. If you're not a full-time
designer and If you don't already have clientele that,
know your name and refer you to friends.
I think marketing is important but I think net for me.
Networking has been so much more beneficial than I think
marketing for me is almost just keeping my name out there or
reminding them that I'm a designer or showing them an
updated project that kind of pushes them, they go, oh yeah,
I've been meaning to call Lindsey for five years And they
see the marketing and then they call me.
But usually it's the word of mouth.
It's the networking and working with different contractors or
different cabinet makers that now they have a project to come
up a lot of times that's us designers that are saying okay
you know you should call so and so and have them do this or that
for you or we're bringing them as are a team but a lot of times
I get so many clients that say or I'm sorry contractors.
That will say called in Z, you know, you're kind of all over
the place. Get your design, she'll help you
guys designed together and then it's an easy handoff to them and
that would be helpful to if they do have a second job and he
getting into the design and not necessarily the project
management yet because that is what takes up so much of our
time, right is right. And that's where honestly, a lot
of the expertise and experience comes into place to, with the
project. Ma'am.
Because it's knowing what to look for on site and how to
communicate with the trades and things like that.
And that, that would be good to start practicing and build that
up over time. That the design is, is a lot
more intuitive and you know Talent driven, right?
And a lot of times when I am sourcing.
So if I go to one of the tile houses and I'm sourcing a lot of
times they'll pass out, My cards.
Hmm so anytime you're you know, if you're trying to get your
name out there if you go to a paint store and leave some
business cards, if you can go to a tile house and leave some
business cards, a lot of times now I know the different
employees. I won't go to every single paint
store in town. I won't go to every single tile
house because then you're not really getting to know the ones
that you can build into your network and if 54 in stores, I'm
going to go to two or three of them because then they know me
and right and then it is the relationships that are really
important, part of executing. I think the projects that you
have and like City can't have a relationship with all 50 tiles
difference in your area. You need like your go-to people.
Yeah yeah. So continue to develop and then
you have that two-way like you're worried referring your
clients to them and then there's start referring people back to
you. Oh, that's great.
Right? Is there anything you wish you
had known when you started out in your career like me when
you're interning or when you're thinking about starting your own
business, but anything you wish you had known then that, you
know. Now, absolutely.
I was about how I'd say 12 to 15 years late.
In the operations manual game, and the design firm that I
interned, for the design firm, I worked at neither had an
operations manual. Everything was in the, I mean,
the whole process was in the principal designer and owner of
the firm's mind. Yeah, yeah, it was not down on
paper. You asked so many questions.
Kitchens and still didn't feel like you would learn the
process, you know, she was busy, she needed us helping.
We didn't always know how to help you were trying to help.
And then I realized that when I started hiring employees that, I
didn't know how to have them help because everything was in
my head and it wasn't, you know, it's still a process and still
trying to figure out what my systems were.
And I just wish 12 to 15 years earlier.
I'd say 12 I'll give myself a little credit, but I think 12
years earlier I wish I would have wrote an operations manual
for myself. Yeah.
Nobody tells you to do that. When you're a solopreneur that
that you should write down your operations at least thought.
I'd never heard that either. When I was on my own and it was
like after I started hiring people as well, and it's like,
oh, I need to, I need to just be able to hand them a task in
that, they can go and implement it without me telling them step
by step by step. Up every time right there.
Yeah I was sort of mind-blowing for me it was like, why didn't I
think of this sooner? Yeah, it should be obvious but
it's and actually right now I have a college intern so she's
out one of the University's going to school for design and
project management. And so we checked in with the
school. Counselor, the professor said,
do you have any recommendations for what our school could be
doing differently and One thing I said was teach these students
how to run a business. I mean how to go to potential
clients home, how to run a consultation, how to read the
contract, your contract, how to build a proposal submitted
proposal. If they approve it, how do you
turn it into an invoice and start placing pios?
And, you know, just teach them how to run a business because If
they are working for a business, they're going to be better
employees and if they decide to own you know start a business
then at least they have a little jumpstart.
And yeah I think on one of the other podcast that you and I did
together. I joked about I didn't know what
a PL was a profit and loss statement and and I go P and L
what? No that's just for Our CPAs,
right? We don't need to know what that
is. And then later, I thought I
would have been a better employee having known in any of
the just basic bookkeeping that I could have helped the other
design firm with as we were building proposals or, you know,
whatever we were doing. If I knew more about business, I
could have helped as an employee and then when I started my
business it would not have been such a long track.
To figure everything out. Mmm.
Yeah, because I also felt when I started my business.
I based a lot on what my previous employers had done and
not necessarily that, they spelled it out for me, it's just
from observation. And so I felt like I was not
very far along because I was kind of guessing at how to run a
business like I think this is what they were doing.
And yeah, Didn't Start the strongest.
And I agree. I think that should be taught in
the schools because regardless, if they're working for someone
or for themselves, they need to know this information, right?
I know one time I said to the employee, that's been with me
the longest, and I mean, she is amazing.
She's kind of our Swiss army knife of the office.
She does so many different things than one time I mentioned
overhead because I said, you know, we have to make x amount
of money every Every single day. And if we didn't make that then
were under, we're like in the red this week, and so we have to
make up for it. And she said to me, she said
overhead what is that? And I remember thinking, you
know, I've done a poor job of training, huh?
No because she's overhead and the computer she's using and
that I'm using and often is sand, you know, all these
things. But she would see big checks
come in and it doesn't matter. Big checks coming in if that
entire check is going out and overhead, I that was actually
the best conversation I had. So if someone out there is at a
point, you know, maybe they're not a new designer, but they're
at a point where they're wondering to hire their first
employee into their design business me, having the
conversation with my employee, when you become an asset where
you are making money for the company then, Your pay will
continue to increase with your profitability toward lak and up
until that point. She had been a liability, she'd
been costing us money because I wasn't tracking her billables.
She was kind of mortgage doing office tasks and helping me with
my client, but she wasn't taking on her own billable tasks.
And that was big. The main bar herself.
Yes, exactly. Yeah so yeah when she said
what's overhead I'm like you. Yeah yeah.
Yeah. And just you know small small
firms are that way that you need your employees to kind of be
thinking like an like the owner. You know, they need to
understand there are costs and overhead and that they need to
do marketing and focus on all these things.
So, yeah, there's a lot I think that could be revamped about the
Design program out there, right? Hopefully, they're all listening
to podcasts and getting our now. Yes, yes, that's why we're here.
Well, taking me a little while to figure it out but yeah.
Please learn from our mistakes. Yeah, so we were talking a lot
about your, a team, and trades. And it's definitely a valuable
part of building your business. Is getting your a team and
people who have the knowledge that can help you with what you
don't know. And do you have a method for
vetting? Your a team, like, how do you
build that initially? Or what did you do?
Yeah. So what I used to do is go into,
you know, if I was on the hunt for a good painter, I would
actually go to the paint stores. Like one of the tile houses in
our area if they are. Going to recommend someone
there, they're supposed to hand out three cards and say okay
baby, I'm looking for a new painter.
Who do you recommend? And a lot of times I would call
them they'd have either projects.
I could go see your clients that I could go meet so that I could
see their work. And a lot of times to I would
test them out on my parents house, or my in-laws house or my
house or you know it's like okay if it's a painter he can do the
laundry room. Always repaint the laundry room,
right? So it was, you know, a couple
things making sure one, their quality was good.
And one would I let them into my house when I'm about to send
them into a client's home. Yeah.
And then first time, one of a you know a new trade is going to
go into a client's home. I am a lot more.
I'm there more often I'm checking up on everything more
often. It's It's a little bit of work
but meeting with that trade before they start that first
project and just kind of laying out what my company's policy is.
And and that I hope to build the relationship.
And I tell them, I want you to be on my a team.
I want you to have that repeat work and just really, you know,
as I've built that a team. They know painters that there.
I keep saying the painter, but if it's a different
subcontractor, I work with a lot of the other subcontractors in
the area. So the cabinet guy might say,
you know, I would highly not recommend working with this
counter fabricator but this guy is great.
He's respectable he's he cleans up the job site every day and so
then from my 18 finding other 18 members.
Yeah, that's great advice. Yeah, for sure.
And I think one thing to that has happened that I didn't
realize how much Much work I would start getting from those
subcontractors or those contractors that I work with.
And so they work hard to be on your 18, which is great because
you respect them, they respect you and then I'll get a call
from a new client that says, hey so-and-so gave me your number or
and said contact Lindsay first start coming up with the design
and then he'll come in you know. Right, the contractor?
Or yeah, that's, that's been wonderful.
And that's kind of been a extra bonus, I guess.
Yeah, that's great. Yeah.
Because they'll oftentimes, the clients don't know that.
They actually need a designer to figure out all the details
first. So there are getting in touch
with the contractors and they're like, whoa, whoa!
Whoa. You have to have a planet called
a desire, so, so that. Yeah, that sounds great.
When that happens. It's nice.
I really do prefer. Most Of my marketing to just
kind of reaffirm word of mouth. So I appreciate that.
Most of my business does come from that referral Network
whether it's friends or family or other people in the trade or
Benders, you know, different showrooms people could go into
and then hear my name and then having that online marketing or
paper marketing or, you know, whatever form of marketing that
people do. I just always Feel that kind of
reaffirms. Oh, okay this is this is lhk
Interiors. This is you know, who the tile
Setter was telling me about the contractor and then they see
that and it sort of reminds them, oh, okay.
You know, maybe it's a social media post and they go, oh yeah,
supposed to call Lindsay's, right?
Yeah. How often does it happen
anymore? Do you ever call your reps and
ask them about product knowledge?
That you might not know that you want to use?
Yeah, so one thing that that I always like to go to the
different trade shows and, you know, look around and feel the
new furniture that's out, the different new Fabrics, but I
also go to a group where we have.
Once a month, we have different trades, come in, or I'm sorry.
Different reps come in and talk about all their new products.
And so for me, that's a time to get together.
Other with other designers and they will line up like five
different reps to come in and talk about their product.
So we might see a handful of reps once a year and you know if
it's a window treatment wrap. She's you know, last month she
was telling us about different motorization that is coming on
to her product and it's a time to really just dive into the new
products and touch it. I feel and see the different
fabrics and ask questions, I mean, I think we're learning
new, you know? You we can't learn everything
that's out there and then something new comes out.
So yeah, I remember when I was starting out, I was working for
another designer and he had me meet with maybe the fabric wrap
or something like that, and I'd be in the meeting and then I'd
be like, I don't know what I'm supposed to ask hurt like these
all look great, but I am I supposed to ask questions about
this or You know, I just didn't know what to do with with having
a rep there. Like, I felt like I should be
asking questions, but it have any idea what to do with them.
Yeah, yeah. And and that's one reason I go
to this rep day with a few other designers, because sometimes, if
I'm not thinking to ask a question that they asked, I go,
oh yeah, that was a good question.
I'm glad you asked that. And yes, that happens a lot.
And I would say to if designers are going to local showrooms and
just trying to look round touch and feel if it's tile as you
know, what are some of the different numbers on you know if
it says A variation and they go okay you know this I see that it
says variation. I see it says one two three or
four. What does that mean?
And asking asking They're at the showroom.
If it's of course line, if it's a three body, what kind of edge,
termination? You know, just all those things
that when I first got into the industry I went, okay, you know
this is a floor plan and this is where we're supposed to say what
tile were picking and this is a pretty color and you know, then
I'd start to learn. Okay?
Can it even be used on a floor, right?
Hit it be used in residential or commercial what sighs.
You know, I get asked by the tile Setters all the time.
What sighs crowd do you want? And now, I realize that part of
that is already specified in the warranty information.
Like this tile is not worried indeed.
If you go too small. Well, you know, if the tile
Setter says, hey, what size do you want?
Oh, anything, anything in the world and then you go.
Wait, no, not how it works. No yeah, yeah.
That's also good. Check the written specs on the
product as well. A lot of information errands.
It can be dry but it's really useful, right?
Yeah, and I know I've kind of mentioned a lot of things as far
as residential design, but I have also done commercial and
even Hospitality design and that is a huge learning curve for all
of a sudden, the fire rating or the slip-resistant c, or just
any product that you get into that, you can put it in
residential, doesn't You can put it in commercial or definitely
not even in hospitality and so and then Hospitality changes
when you get into we did a small wing of a children's hospital
him and wow, did I have to learn a lot?
It was, it's great. It's you know so much fun to to
get the new knowledge but sometimes it's like oh when am I
going to just know it all. And we won't no not in this, not
in this industry. She has to know.
Yeah, there is fight. I think great to have showrooms
vendors, wraps trades. I used to think I needed to know
everything and now I just say, you know what, I will definitely
get that answer from you from the specialty person.
That knows that answer. But I don't know everything.
And I it took me a while to realize I didn't have to know
everything I can't. Yeah.
Not possible. And it doesn't mean that you're
a bad designer. The best part is that you know
where to go to look for the answers that's available.
All right. Yeah.
Well great, anything else that you thought of that, you wanted
to share. Not that I can think of right
now. Okay, you can always come back
on again. I love it.
Yeah, just love talking with you and thanks again for sharing.
All of your expertise. Wonderful thank you for having
me. Yeah thanks Lindsay okay take
care. Bye.
So wasn't that another great conversation with Lindsay?
I love having her in my circle of colleagues.
She is a part of a group that I also run here locally of
designers that we get together and talk about business
practices and she comes to those meetings, a lot and it's just
really great support really great Insight.
I always perk up when she has something to say.
So we may have her back. Back again, when she has more
expertise to share with us. So, thank you so much.
Lindsay for being on the podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave me a rating and
review. I'd love to hear from you.
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straight to your inbox that's it for me this week stick around
next week. I will have another great
episode for you. On the You of being coached
Lindsay. And I have both received
coaching as well as I guess coaching each other and there's
just no better way to bolster your business, to bolster your
career, then to be coached, by someone else or even just life
coaching in and of itself. So you're going to stick around
for next week's episode is going to be really good until then
stay creative. Thanks for listening.
If you loved this episode, please leave a rating and a
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